Zinc metal powder (zinc dust) and zinc compounds have long been utilized for their anticorrosive properties in metal protective coatings, and presently comprise the basis of metal primers, such as zinc chromate primers.
Zinc dust paints are especially useful as primers for new or weathered galvanized iron. Such surfaces are difficult to protect because their reactivity with organic coatings leads to brittleness and lack of adhesion. Zinc dust paints, however, retain their flexibility and adherence on such surfaces for many years. Furthermore, they provide excellent protection to steel structures under normal atmospheric conditions, as well as to underwater steel surfaces (dams, the interior of freshwater tanks).
